Ryan Dalton and the Children of Cape Town

When a kid first goes of the street there's like this unspoken process they don't necessarily have a name or lingo for it but it's just this process where basically you just get broken a new kid sticks out like a sore thumb. Maybe they're not street wise. They're awkward it's like yeah it's like a sort of it's just like awkward in the out there and then everybody can see it that everybody knows. Oh. No. No no no no homo oh no oh no. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh yeah. And I'm

a student of social services a Cape Town University and Brian Dalton is a native of Cookeville Tennessee for four years he has dedicated himself to those who call the streets of Cape Town home. I think the situation in Cape Town is very unique to the rest of the world because in a country like Angola you'll get kids on the street from from war and things like that. And in another country for instance and maybe even here eventually you'll get kids on the street. Orphaned by AIDS but in majority of the kids in Cape Town or on the streets it's mostly because it used to be on the street. A kid can run away from school at the age of six or seven years old

and he can leave school even leave home and he can live in downtown Capetown and nobody's really going to look for him. If they've chosen to come to the street then they also have to choose to come off of the street. So it makes for a really different kind of dimension I guess in Cape Town. With the. Apartheid had a huge impact on this country and the effects today I mean the residue is still very evident and clear and the street kids are also just a manifestation of that. And I would say the problem has actually gotten worse since apartheid was finished in 94 since the New Democracy came

and. In general there's a handout mentality that's been created but especially with the street kids they have and they they've developed a real handout mentality and especially towards white people it's like they expect that the white person owes them and they owe them money or they owe them food or whatever and sometimes you even see kids getting angry if if you know someone doesn't give them money. Right. Think. Of the six horses. Who were.

There. In Cape Town street kids collect along small Jamison street and here in the more exposed public plaza known as the parade beneath the windows of city hall. Well the the general name first street given down to Cape Town. They've got to adopt the looks of the stroller. For the strollers. And then within all the kids in downtown Cape Town you get different classifications and the two main ones are strollers which is what people would consider the street kids the ones that sleep on the street they they live there and survive on the street. Other classifications daytime strollers. Which These are kids that come in from the same communities that the other strollers come from but they just come into town downtown for the day and they'll beg for money or park cars for money or even get involved in crime and then go home in the evening and sleep in their

house. And sometimes they ask if there's another they're making money for their parents. Or their family that's enough. For them. Like their charter. They're just in charge of their lives. They sleep when they want to eat when they want to. They do what they want to and the money and the freedom on the streets is as attractive. And so. Yeah that's when they start begin taking these adult roles on the street. I found that when you were still I think you were still down under the bridge you know not the bridge not yeah the tunnel. It was where the convention center is now. Ralph was staying with a group of kids under the tunnel. And that's I think when I first met you I think. Yeah yeah that was when I first moved here. Three and a half years ago. He's been on the street for 20 something like 23 years.

You see the street is like a sea of them but some of the kids it's business like 1979 in my bin and send me to a program no. I for I found my family on the street. I don't know it might be on me but the people in my family in the in that is the ONLY like that I know what he's. Done but the. Before no one was moving. Yeah. There is. There is three people in Cape Town that I trust everything I mean I like love all the kids interests all the kids but there's. Three people in Cape Town that I trust and everything anything and everything and that's why it has one of the three. That I am now would be sleeping tonight I understood what you won't. Because he's not

scared because like anybody knows him and he can go you can walk you know when in the city everybody in the city knows him big and small knows are you with the kids. You're the kid just made about the U.S. because weight is something that sometimes you think it would be to. Do another place they're in use and you see in everything I did the sodium allow you so that you didn't get in the pits. You see. It's what you wean from the kids from the city. I get the question all the time from people what so what do you do for the kids. What do you do. We know you go out and sit on the street. We know you hang out with them and build relationships. But what beyond that and for me that is what I do. And it may sound simple there are a lot of people but that is the foundation and the basis of everything that I do. It's just I just go there

and meet the kids. Despite Ryan's street relationships it must be said these streets are alive with dangers almost all of these children have been beaten or raped. Township games beg money to buy bullets in revenge for trespassers real or imagined. Children are doused with flammable liquids and set a fire as they sleep. No home is no place to hide. And the police are not there for you. You're going to you mustn't think everything your mother expect you might expect. You must keep one eye open when you're sleeping because when you do you're going to get anything that might be. Used during the day you know it's OK it's only disappeared or there's a lot of eyes on you during the day and I don't know when. He's likely to Google. Life on the streets is just way more harsh and terrible for the girls because basically a girl in the street her soul

number one purpose and role on the street is like sexual services for sexual reasons. And so it's a lot more hard on the girl emotionally and physically. And every other aspect I mean it's just really hard for for the girls to be on the street. You get girls all the way from the age of 8 years old 10 years old come into the street on their own and from that age been sexually active. One of the big opening experiences for me here in Cape Town was the whole issue of the prostitution not just be. The girls prosody themselves out but it's also the boys that are prostituting themselves that the kids have a name for these paedophiles I mean do. They call them bunnies. Put a whole new spin on the Easter Bunny for me. This one Easter I was here and it just like it just hit me I think was the first Easter I was here

working with the kids next. One kid after another Tell me about it. These bunnies and Bunny this and this guy with this bunny and all this stuff. And right about that time it was Easter time and I just thought about it in the States in Cookeville Tennessee. There is you know kids anxiously anticipating the Easter Bunny and you know they go to sleep at night excited and maybe even a little scared like but you know excited the Easter Bunny is coming and they wake up the next morning and here's these kids here on the other side of the world around Easter time and they're anxiously maybe or maybe a little scared or whatever but they're awaiting a different kind of bunny. And it's just like the two contrasts just hit me in this really hectic kind of way just. That that's not the kind of money around Easter times the kids should be waiting around for the biggest struggle has been trying to get something to be done about it because it's nobody's

really interested because in the end they people just say oh they're just kids. You see it for the kids. For them it's easy to get the. U.S.. Abused the money they abused. Them of glue it is then that in. My name. So they gave but the uncle was a big guy. Did I give him a D in that in note. Yes the one that when you give the gift that the love. So good is out of the blue every morning is busy in the morning. You see. This is I would work. Are you doing drugs. Through. The fact he was a food come every day. How many days does it come.

Oh Mandy. How old are you. Are you going to go home. Are you going to go home. I could better on the street. Do you think that the way that I think might be home without them. This is how the gifts giving each other stepping is out there with the my soul he says he sees and does once a season. So no I did not know none of their what I would put in my book. Maybe like my dad when I smile. What if I didn't have. Right now you can you can make it it's all you can make your mother tell your mother I think you know by now even if you did or.

Having raised himself and homeless over 20 years around his developed Kingstree ethics he serves as a sort of elder statesmen of people that the world at large chooses to walk through in the past. As if they exist in a wholly different dimension. Once treated to a weekend at a local hotel. Ralph suffered the pains of a street person torn between loyalties and luxury. Yeah but the one night I was sleeping nicely. But then I think you're. My friend. I would said yeah yeah looks nice in the morning. My friend. What I wanted I would say is that you know what he. Did. I don't like to go to. The window out of it making money. How do you know you stood on. Providing for the street child. Ralph will tell you brings the paradox of

charity benefactor is also re-enabling. The other problem about a problem is that you're gone every night because they didn't give out food you took did you see. You must try to put them on the other move. Let the kid go to school and you get good grades and you can give out food every night. Who would who would make it easier for them. We make it easier for them to come in to the street. One one day a week every single week they hear the Gospel and they sing songs in order to get food and then if they go along with the program then they get the food or a haircut or whatever. The organizations offering that week. And so really gives the kids a warped perspective of Christians and then they get church groups that come and give soup and sometimes they even say you have to pray the sinner's prayer before you can have the soup and it's really off putting and it gives these kids a slice.

Terrible perception of Christianity. I heard once of a project that that was done with a group of street kids where they were asked to draw all different types of adults. For instance one picture was of a police officer one picture was of a doctor one picture was of a teacher and then the one picture was of a Christian. And so this one kid on his picture of a Christian he had drawn a regular man that the kids usually draw with arms and legs in the head. And then but on the face he had drawn two bouts in one ear and the person it was facilitating that program came by and was like This is a really good picture but why did you drop to mass in one year that's strange. And the kid said now that's how Christians are. They talk too much and they never listen. In general the US now it just said and that

is a guess last the first time that we had. Well they said that I had a hard time connecting with others that were not speaking mostly African and you know so you were hitting them and that was all well and good to say 120 something here that I don't like and their financing of the conversation the connection between you two was real sure that was a precise you know red suit acting for the use of the better they were involved with you know that a sign that is anything goes wrong I guess. I just pray that whatever might be on our minds or maybe even excitement or anxiety any sort of thing. Did we just lay down. Yeah and

I just pray that you have a good time as you would go with us and walk with us and sing with us. Dance with us whatever song in there is you just deal with this and you say. OK Ryan found God at the age of 16. And perhaps it was the other way around pariah and hardly seemed to be looking. People would maybe come up to me with a bible or don't tell me you have to do this you have to do that and you have to believe that you have to believe that and I was like you don't know me I don't care what you had to say. And I really feel like. If you're living a life of courting to God and things like that your actions speak louder than your words. You don't have to talk so much and you can just let you. Act. He's a doctor. I say his views are on Orthodox and he seldom speaks of his beliefs but he seems to have been drafted by fate for this service to his face.

An interesting quote is Ghandi actually said that he said the whole world would believe in Jesus Christ if it weren't for Christians. And I mean that's a real skeptical look on things. But at the same time it's it's it's reality. I mean. Jesus was an amazing guy and he did amazing things when he was on earth. He just hung out with the people on the street he went to parties going out with the prostitutes he hung out with the scum of the that day and age. You know it was like down there. And I really feel like that's how we should be. We're living examples of him and that that should be also how we live. He was. Like. My little. Girl. Yeah. I'm 50 and. I'm turning said you love your 3:51. And. Like we. Like to. Sit.

At the back of this house I want to want to be something. Like you. It's not easy below you. Yeah. Some people will see. My love playing. With don't know what we mean and. Sometimes we do like. Good luck and sometimes we need stuff. Like maybe like. You. Like. I like I knew we. Would. Be like. Like what must we do flooding. In Nashville we feel. Some time must go in. But I. Like is not nice in the. End the end of the day really really honest. We were going to end up there the end of the three. It. Was fun. To have a. Look. At.

You in. A room right. Oh my. God oh my. God. You know the thing I think you. Can. Get. To. Thinking. About. I've been working on the streets for three years

and I was just. I felt my heart moving from downtown. To the communities to the song to. To really feel it. In fact the kids don't have to first get back into the communities stuff the kids before they go to. Work. Well you know the old bottle they give in boxing is out was. Out. Now where they can let out their frustration and anger and stuff but also write some discipline and self-respect and respect for others at the same time. And so it's really a healthy kind of thing. The boxers train as if there is no tomorrow. With colleges 50 percent unemployment in the nation's highest murder rate one has to wonder. But there is hope here and determination and joy. True treasures

for the dispossessed. There is no electric power in the gym but the boys are training for the provincial finals. They train until it's too dark to see. Good. We go with boxing coach to Ginger how younger the pasta to the small home he shares with. There. Is this notion I wake up in this purpose and like everything that we ever had a meeting of our first meeting last year we decided to work together and likely we were like pot. Ever think we like Columbo. Everything was there you know it's like you make this the best more you know going over good guy and I love him played to you know we don't get any fun and anyway this is from his own pocket. I think like when you are the one we had

the equipment to build that suck so loud with the sockets. Yes it's hard for us to practice always I'm mean. This change in areas privately for 500 square feet and we hope to build a place that's at least four times bigger than this. This area with not their floors. One. Of them. But that's just coming up maybe 15 bills quickly coming up the best for the folks. I'm not going to I'm just like totally drop all the kids and drop all the relationships that I

worked so hard to build. So I also make contact but at the same time like just moving to the other side of the spectrum and I kind of do have to leave that for a little while downtown away and just in order to help. So that's actually. My life motto that I've kind of taken on is a quote that I heard one time and it's people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. And so that's kind of the approach I've taken with these kids is to not just come and even preach or tell them how to live or tell them to come off the streets or they have to quit doing drugs or whatever. But I really come and try and build relationships and build their trust and respect and kind of earn the right to be able to speak into their lives and earn the authority to be able to do. Yes speaking of their lives and and once they see that I do care and then I can I think I have more of a right to talk and maybe go

further with things of that nature.